Wednesday, November 27, 2013

I'm back with another holiday gift/wish list! Monday I was writing about the new Mr. & Mrs. west elm holiday list, today I'm sharing my ideas on gifts for your girlfriends! All year long I find adorable little finds for my girlfriends and then the holiday season comes and I'm stumped! This year, no, there are so many cute items I have seen recently. I am heading back to the States for Christmas and I CAN NOT WAIT to spend some time with my besties. I hope you like my ideas of what I would like to wrap in a bow for my girlfriends and share them with your besties!

1. Oatmeal Lace Emerson Foldover Clutch - I feel like this is one of those adorable clutches that you always want and admire but do not want to buy for yourself, that is the perfect gift! I have a thing for black and white stripes, and wait until you see the bright green liner, amazing.

2. Miss Etoile Coffee Pot - I mean really, how adorable is this tea/coffee pot!?!?!!! I want to make a big pot and sit over many cups of coffee and catch up with my girlfriends.

9. Studio DIY & Pencil Shavings iPhone bows Case - wow. This case has my name all over it….and a few of my friends! I love that they make them for old and new iPhones. My little phone may be getting a new makeover for 2014….bow case!

Monday, November 25, 2013

The holiday season is in FULL swing here in London and in the States, after Thanksgiving, everyone will be shopping away like little elves. I was beyond excited to hear that one of my favorite US home stores, west elm, would be opening here in London on December 5th! Beau and I have been starting to think of our wedding registry and when I heard that west elm was opening here in London, it got me to thinking of all the great things that would be great for a holiday gift list or a registry. West elm has chic, simple, modern, stylish furniture and decor, perfect for us! Below are a few of my favorites to give this holiday season to the soon to be Mr. & Mrs.

1. Perch Table Lamp Rose Gold - Under £75, this adorable table lamp is just what our flat needs. A little bit of shine and a little of style!

2. Faux Fur Throw - This blanket is not new, but I have to say, it is a fabulous staple and I LOVE IT! The perfect throw to add to your couch and cuddle up with on these chilly winter nights.

3. Organic Shaped Metallic Rim Dinnerware - I love this every day set of china with a little metallic shine. Every couple needs some basic white china and with a silver or gold rim, you can dress it up or use it every day.

4. Baggu Dipped Tote - How fab is this tote for the bride to be with her new initial on it?

5. Bormioli Bodega Glassware - These glasses are really simple and basic and I think for water or some wine, they would be perfect for ever day.

6. Rose Gold Salad Set - I feel like a salad set is one of those things you think you will not use often, wrong. Serving pieces are great for entertaining during the holidays, perfect at home and one of those things I feel like you never buy yourself. Also, did I mention they were rose gold, love that.

7. Gold Flatware - I know it is really great to have some nice real silver in your life. Classic, wedding silverware you will pass down to your kids and they will use throughout their marriage, well, I want some gold flatware and I love this. What do you think? Gold and silver? A small amount for a dinner party of six?

8. Porcelain Hurricanes - I think that these are great for candles or to place a vase inside and use for pretty vases. These can be pretty, sleek and modern and every day, really lovely.

Happy Shopping! West elm opens in London on Thursday, 5th of December ! See you there!

Friday, November 22, 2013

Oh Friday, how I love you! Friday's make me want to splurge on a Gingerbread Latte, go for a long lunch, read a few magazines, toast the day with a cocktail and well, just relax and play. I worked last Saturday and the week has seemed quite long. I am oh so looking forward to the weekend ahead full of our first cake tasting, a little Friday night shopping on Oxford Street with a girlfriend, a London besties birthday, a small photo shoot with amazon Aneta, phew, I'm already tired. Thank you Friday for arriving! Over the long week, I have found quite a few things I

3. Topshop Faux Fur Hat - You may have seen me post on Instagram about my new fun purchase, yes, I bought a fabulous furry hat. It is FREEZING this week in London and I couldn't be

happier with my new little deal!

4. Lily Allen Hard Out Here Song - Guilty pleasure, I can not stop listening to this song! It is ridiculous and ya, I kind of love it. GREAT for a run!

5. Wedding Hair/Makeup Trial Inspiration - In two weeks we are doing a little pre wedding shoot, so I thought what better time then to do a hair/makeup trial! I have been pinning a lot of inspiration and love this simple and gorgeous look on Once Wed and her amazing eyes photographed by Desibayton Photography.

6. Christmas List - In less then 30 days we will be heading back to the States for Christmas. I would be lying to say that I am not excited….because I am BEYOND excited!!!! I have started making a long list of Christmas gifts to bring with me from England. I. can't. Wait.

7. Stop Making Excuses Print - The Every Girl gave their site a makeover and it looks wonderful! They are also selling some phone cases and prints in their shop. This stop making excuses print needs to be tattooed on my arm. Making myself happy, no more excuses, go and do it. jump. {thanks Laura!}

Thursday, November 21, 2013

This is my second year living abroad during Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays of the year! I'd be lying if I said I don't miss celebrating. Thanksgiving falls on a Thursday, work day, boo, and I live in London, so nobody participates in Black Friday and takes off the day to do loads of ridiculous shopping, boo. However, oh well, I love living here so I've learned to deal with it. Since we do have to work on Turkey Day, I've decided instead of cooking a big feast, we are going out to dinner with friends and the next night we are hosting a "Friendsgiving Cocktail Party". The perfect way to celebrate having great friends here in London, an overdue housewarming party and a kick off to the holiday season!

I keep reminding myself I want to go simple with the party, which for those of you who know me personally, simple is not easy. So I made a list of items and here is what I'm planning for our little Thanksgiving fete!

1. Easy to Prepare and Refresh Nibbles - You can't go wrong with a nice cheese board right? Beau is going to pick up some yummy cheese at Burough Market next week. I will add some herbed nuts and charcuterie. I found a simple recipe while in the checkout line at the grocery store for these cute beetroot croustades . I'm not a huge fan of pre made, but hey, if I can buy pre made tarts and fill them, perfect, easy! Martha made these amazing cranberry curd tartletsthat I thought would be a nice reminder of Thanksgiving day.

3. Email Invite - I am in love with Paperless Post! Way cuter designs then the old E-Vite versions and the point that it emails your guest an envelope is adorable. It is easy to keep track of on your computer or your phone which makes it all the more amazing.

4. Apple Basil Cocktail - I have been infusing my last bottle of US Cupcake Vineyards Vodka with basil and can't wait to add it to a little cocktail for a welcome drink! My plan is to add a little cloudy apple juice and a dash of Prosecco, what do you think?

5. Easy and Pretty Decor - Fingers crossed I have time to make some garland out of eucalyptus because I envision it over the door with added Fall hydrangeas around the house!

That is my plan for a little Thanksgiving/Fall friends get together! Thirty people in our little London flat should be quite a party! If you try out the cocktail, let me know what you think. Cheers! Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

To say I was pretty excited to open up this month's Wedding Magazine December/January issue and see my picture and a few of my quotes in an article might be a bit of an understatement. Yes, I spread my pictures around on social media on a daily basis, sharing pics of me and Beau, me & Oliver, however opening up a magazine on a newsstand in London and seeing quotes of mine printed in a wedding article seemed pretty fun. I have lived here in London for a little over a year and have been working hard to network and meet people in the wedding industry here, so it was fun to finally see my blog time and work in print!

I couldn't help but snap a few photos on my phone and share! Page 110, make sure to check out the wonderful article about the Wedding Blog Awards I attended last month. It was such a wonderful night at the Ritz and the article is wonderful in featuring a lot of us UK Wedding ladies that are blogging away. I'm on the first page, with that tan from Bali, can I get that back!?!?!

The night of the awards I got into a chat with one of the editors about US weddings vs. UK and started talking about DIY wedding decor, flowers, etc. I was so happy when they asked me to share some thoughts on DIY in the latest issue, so make sure to check out page 173 & 174.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

I love Fall! I know I say it often, but I oh so do love it! One of the reason I am a HUGE fan of the season is because of all of the yummy food available in the Autumn months; root vegetables, pumpkin, squash! With a trip back to the States in one month exactly, the wedding in seven months, our engagement shoot coming up, amongst many other fun things, I want to tone up and drop a few pounds. I love a big salad at lunch time but boring salads make me, well, bored. I wanted to share my healthy and what I thought easy fall favorite, my Autumn chicken salad.

Sunday afternoon you can often find me in the kitchen roasting vegetables for the week; butternut squash and beets are my favorite! This salad is full of good things for your body and also filling and well, delicious!

Roasted Chicken

Arugula

Roasted Butternut Squash

Chopped Walnuts

Pomegranate Seeds

Roasted Beets

Olive Oil and Vinegar

So that is what is in my lunch box. What is in yours? Do you have any bridal bootcamp worthy delicious recipes to share? Do tell! For now, enjoy you lunch!

Monday, November 18, 2013

A rainy Monday afternoon calls for a little break from your computer. Get yourself a cup of coffee and sit yourself down for a little browsing break around the web. I had a Bar Mitzvah at work until late Saturday night, so at this moment I am pretty eager for a little more time off, it feels like I was just at the office. For now I am going to browse around the Internet for a few minutes and take a blog break. Enjoy!

You probably thought I was talking about what flowers you would use for your wedding day, nope, your perfume. I know, it may sound silly to think of, but I have always been a fan of a signature scent. I remember stealing a spritz of my sister's Electric Youth perfume when I was so little, then in middle school getting Estee Lauder Pleasures and wearing it for years, once I got to college I changed to Angel {which so many girls at Syracuse smelled like!}. The last few years my perfumes have changed off and on but have mainly stayed to light, pretty, flower scents.

I tend to wear LOVELY by Sarah Jessica Parker and CREED Spring Flower which my maid of honor gave to me at her wedding, almost every day. I do not want to buy a strong scent for my wedding day and smell like someone Beau does not know. I envision smelling the perfume years down the road and having memories of my wedding day, am I crazy or do you feel the same way of perfume, the scent will leave memories with you.

With Christmas around the corner maybe the Jo Malone Peony scent will be under the tree for me, I love it! Jo Malone is a British based company so wouldn't that be fitting? Or should I stay with my every day scents since that's what I wear? Funny thing to think about, but hey, it leaves memories for years right? Are you wearing a flowery scent, did you borrow a perfume or buy something new and stronger?

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

I feel a little selfish talking about me time. No, I'm not talking about getting a manicure and a glass of wine alone time {which is quite nice!}, I'm talking about the personal to do list I have had in my mind for over a year of things I want to do. I'm talking about getting to the breakdown point and freaking out at 11:00pm because there is never enough time to try and live my dreams. By the time I get home from work, email, cook, exercise, wedding emails, I'm exhausted and haven't gotten to the things that make me tick. Anyone else? DO I sound crazy? I'm not talking about pretty weddings today or a new bag I want or a new restaurant I just went to, today I'm just giving you my thoughts….OK, I'm rambling a bit. Will you let me? Want to listen?

So my sweet fiancé has to hear me complain at home {I feel bad}. He is the one who listens to me typing away early mornings and late nights. He is the one who heard me yelling at my flowers last weekend when I didn't buy the right flowers for a flower arranging project {hello, why the yelling! I had never done it before!}. He is also the sweet one that reminded me last night, I need to take some time for myself. He's right. This past year of living in London has been absolutely amazing.We are planning our wedding which is beyond exciting. We have travelled to Bali, met fabulous new friends and have seen wonderful new things, all in all I keep feeling like something has been missing. I have been jamming our week and weekends full of wedding meetings and going to dinner and drinks with friends, getting home at 11:00pm to fall in bed and attempt to wake up for a 6:00am workout and emails. I get to my desk at nine feeling exhausted and tired and grumpy to come home and rush through my to do list and get angry that I haven't finished it. Last night we came to a conclusion that I need to set up a little plan for myself. Happiness isn't going to come in a box from Amazon {which I've recently become obsessed with!}. It isn't that I'm not happy, it is just that I feel like something is missing and I'm never happy enough with what I have and feel my goal is always out there and I don't have time to get there. It isn't a secret to anyone that some day I would like my own business. A little corner of the world to help bride and grooms create creative and beautiful weddings, a place I can plan families home parties and decorations, a place I can suggest entertaining ideas and things to make your lifestyle shiny sparkly and fun. However, if I am not feeling shiny and sparkly then how I can help others! I look at Instagram and Facebook and read blogs secretly jealous of others in my industry who have made it. Others who have created a gorgeous company in their mid twenties when I feel like I should be there. I have to remind myself that hello, I'm only 32, life isn't over, I need to take the opportunities I have now and make the most of it. I need to be excited for these peers and take their learning curves as inspiration. Meanwhile I need to take time for myself at home and say no. Saying no to last minute dinner plans on a Tuesday so I can sit at my computer and blog or email wedding companies that have been on my list. Saying no so that I can write my plan, my three year personal plan, my 5 year family plan of where we want to be and what we want to do.

I am pretty sure of the woman I want to grow into; a loving wife, a caring friend, a creative, fun, inspiring business women, a healthy and happy person both and in out, a thoughtful daughter, a thoughtful sister, the list goes on. Like the famous Diane says above, I am ready to become that woman. Last week I signed up for a flower arranging class online and while it seems like a fun silly project, I think it was a little sign to me saying, I need this, it's time for me to do this for me. So you have now just read me ranting on for this whole post and I probably make no sense. What I'm saying is I know a lot of you have big dreams and big goals like me. Stopping giving excuses and saying you can't, stop putting those things on the back end of the to do list, put them on the front, make time for yourself and say no to some plans and say yes to me time.

I've been really inspired over the last couple of months meeting some fabulous women in my industry and it is time I make some time for myself to get out there and figure out how I can make myself amazing as well. Make my life the amazing part I feel like I have been missing. Thanks Beau for listening to me freak out at night and thank you to anyone who is even reading this.

Monday, November 11, 2013

I have long been in love with cake stands! I think I must get it from my mom and my sisters who also have a growing collection of pottery stands, depression glass stands, etc. Even though Beau and I live in a small flat, I manage to squeeze in my small growing cake stand collection all over the flat, using them not only for cake, but fruit, candle displays and much more. Now that we are planning our own wedding, I look at these pretty little stands in such different ways. Well Beau may say, I'm a bit obsessed. I am constantly pointing out the pretty milk glass cake stands to him at shops and emailing photos to my dad of wooden stands asking if he could make us ours! I have never been a big fan of a HUGE over sized silver cake stand, the look is a bit too much for us. We are meeting with a potential wedding cake company in a couple of weeks {yippee} and the styles of cake I picture us having, include being placed on top of a beautiful, simple wedding cake stand. Maybe I will be getting a new one from Santa for our big day {wink wink}. Here are a few of my favorites!

Friday, November 8, 2013

Happy FRIDAY lovely ladies! Oh my oh my, I am SO glad to see Friday here, I need a little sleep and catch up this weekend and I am so looking forward to it. This week has been full of meetings with officiants for the wedding, upcoming project meetings, dinner with friends, it has been great but a lot of go go go. Tonight Beau and I are staying in for a little quiet Friday at home and honestly, I can't wait. In the middle of all of the busy, I have made time to find a few things I fancy! You? Anything you fancy this week?

1. Wedding Cake by Little Boutique Bakery - We made an appointment for our first cake tasting in a few weeks! Carrot cake, red velvet cake, lemon, coconut, oooo this is one appointment I am so excited for.

4. Quit Slackin' by Rock & Roll Bride - I've been looking to change a few things in my life recently. I want to lose these last few pounds for the wedding, make more time in my day for blogging and have more time for me and Beau, I want to make big changes with my work, the list goes on. I love this image from Kat saying well, you know what, STOP slackin' and make it happen! That is right. I need to remind myself every day!

5. Nicole's Classes - I am so excited to have signed up for the online flower arranging class taught by Chelsea with {frolic!} blog. I am SUPER interested into getting more into flower arranging and I thought this could be a good jump start, a work at my own pace, work at home, but learn some fun tools! Check out the Nicole's Classes site for a whole list of awesome online classes.

6. Engagement Photos - I managed to talk Beau into getting some engagement pictures in London during the holiday season, yippee! Our wedding photographer is in the States so I asked the wonderful Kylee with Kytography to snap some photos of us with Oliver around Hampstead Heath and at a local cafe. I'm loving these photos by Nessa K and Britt Spring {featured on London Bride} that inspire what I want for our shoot, relaxed, fun photos of me and my love, with our little furry love on our normal Saturday out.

I am beyond excited to share this post. After two amazing years for Floridian Weddings, the site is getting a little makeover and is having a big bash on Monday ; party and new shiny site! No, I will not be flying from London to Florida to celebrate {I wish!} but I am still jumping for joy for all the hard work my girls Laura and Desiree have put into the relaunch.

So many of you ask me if I still do a lot for the Florida wedding site and unfortunately the answer is, no. I co founded the site with Laura and am the "Across the Pond" editor, popping in here and there with little wedding goodness. I may not be a daily contributor to the Floridian Weddings site, however, I still believe in all it is and love everything it does. I met Laura back in 2011 when I had just moved to Florida. At the time I was looking to branch out from my existing job in corporate events and get back into wedding assistance like I had done in DC. I reached out to Laura after discovering her wonderful wedding design business and after meeting and clicking from the beginning, a few glasses of wine later and the thought of Floridian Weddings appeared. Both Laura and I had felt that Florida was missing a modern wedding site that showcased the creative vendors we had been discovering but were not being featured. We felt that when people thought of Florida Weddings they immediately thought of starfish on the beach and flip flops. People had long associated with cheesy beach weddings {they are NOT cheesy, but the pretty unique ones were not be shared!} and we knew that this huge State was full of gorgeous florists, ridiculously beautiful photographers, chic venues, and the list goes on! There was not a Florida based site out there that was showcasing the fresh, creative and talented people that we had in the sunshine state. I had just moved to Florida and was looking to connect with these like minded vendors. While I found their websites, I never found one spot where they were all located and was easily accessible for the brides to be. Along came Laura the magic designer, she put together a lovely site for us and we never looked back.

After a year of adventures, waking up early morning to write posts, learning a little HTML, emailing hundreds of Florida vendors, selling our little site to big Florida wedding professionals and gaining an amazing readership from brides and groom, we decided we needed a little more help…. along came Desiree! We decided we wanted to escape only South Florida and grow to the WHOLE state. What better way to do this then by going on a little state wide ROAD TRIP! We packed up our car, planned a party in each city we stopped in and spread the Florida wedding love all over the State. The website has continued to grow and get recognition as a resource for planning a Florida wedding. We have introduced you to new companies {remember the NEW company UnEarthed Vintage that has now EXPLODED}, shared engagements {oh ya, this one too!}, created gorgeous inspiration, and well the list goes on! I may live Across the Pond now, in a different country, not anywhere NEAR Florida, but I am still proud of what we created. I am beyond excited for Desiree and Laura to introduce you to the new site and watch it grow.

We couldn't have a new shiny site without a new shiny party! TUESDAY, 12th of November the lovely ladies are throwing a bash, I will be toasting from a far.

We hope you keep reading Floridian Weddings and share with us any sunshine love you have! Cheers!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

The reality has finally hit me that we have seven months to go until our wedding day. The save the dates are out in the mail, in 220 days we will be getting married {yippppeee!}. I am beyond excited but also, I will be honest, I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. Juggling work full time, blogging, other projects, working out, keeping in touch, having a social life, wedding planning, it is all just feeling like a lot. While there is so much fun stuff happening, days go by and it starts to feel like, just a lot. Luckily my good friend and wedding planner extraordinaire, Elizabeth Duncan, gave me some wonderful advice. Enjoy being engaged! Celebrate! When you are ready, step back and look at an overview of what needs to get done. I have a tendency to start planning the little pretty details before I have picked the big items, so Elizabeth came in with some good advice!

With one year away from the wedding I knew we needed to start planning the big things. At first I was so into the cake flavors and the types of flowers that I was overwhelmed with excitement for every detail. Elizabeth gave me this advice on where to start with our wedding one year away, I knew it was useful and wonderful information to share!

It is such an exciting time! It should also be a fun process! If you are newly engaged and start to get stressed out during planning, take a step back and focus on the big items that should get down first, and then sort the details out later {phase two!} After those big ticket items get checked off the list, in phase two you can begin organizing the color of the table linens and what specialty cocktail you will be serving! Take a breathe, grab a glass of wine, and start planning.

Monday, November 4, 2013

I can not believe October 2013 is finished, wow. October was one of these months that I kind of can't believe happened. We had so many amazing experiences, I want to do it all again! A trip to Bali, the Wedding Blog Awards, meeting the girls from the Everygirl, Brides Show, b.loved event, a trip to a farm, our save the dates were printed and sent, I discovered myself on London tube posters {yes! my Bridget Jones tweet!}, pumpkin cookie baking, walks in the park with Oliver and one of my best friends from DC visited, breathe! SO that is why I am in a bit of denial that it is November, wow, how? November, I've got a big to do list for you! Let's get this month started!

November I am trying to say NO to things I simply do not have time for with the hope that it gives me a little less stressful feeling. We have 222 days until our wedding, yippee, but also I wanted to get some major items secured before the holidays {the band, the decor, cake, makeup}. Our save the dates are in the mail, SO excited, and I have many side projects happening, so as much as I hate saying NO to fun activities, I've decided I'd be in a much happier place if I do to some things. Do you ever feel that way? The feeling of complete overwhelming? I am setting goals for lots of things and trying not to over commit.

We are hosting a Thanksgiving cocktail party at our flat, taking a day trip to Oxford, getting ready for our holiday trip to the States and enjoying our time here in England during the Fall. What are your November plans?